Pakistan, which is accused by the US and the Afghan government of harbouring Taliban leaders, said: "Our two countries face the common threat of terrorism, and Pakistan is committed to work closely with Afghanistan to eliminate this scourge.

"Pakistan would continue to support all efforts that contribute to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Rahmani, a former Taliban member, chose to make a positive contribution to his nation by turning his back on an insurgent movement that continues to be wholly detrimental to the future of Afghanistan," ISAF said.

"His decision to help make the future brighter for Afghans serves as an inspiration to us all and his contributions will be missed,"

The HPC was established by Karzai in 2010 to negotiate peace with the Taliban and other insurgents waging war against his administration and some 130,000 US-led NATO troops.

Rahmani "had recently established contacts with senior Taliban leaders", a senior security official told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Taliban have publicly rejected Karzai's calls for peace, calling him a puppet of the Americans and insisting on the complete withdrawal of Western troops.

The Islamic militants in March pulled out of preliminary talks with US officials in the Gulf state of Qatar, saying Washington had not fulfilled agreed confidence-building pledges, among them releasing five Taliban leaders held at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay.

For its part, Washington has consistently said any talks with the Taliban to end the war could only take place with the agreement of the Afghan government, which eventually should lead the process.

Rahmani, who was the Taliban's higher education minister during their rule from 1996 to 2001, joined Karzai's government after the regime was toppled by a US-led invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda on New York and Washington.

He was one of several former Taliban leaders who were removed from a UN sanctions list last July after lobbying by Karzai's administration in a bid to help the peace process.

Rahmani was known to have maintained ties with some Taliban leaders after joining Karzai's government. Before joining the HPC, the former Taliban leader was a member of the senate, appointed by Karzai.

His death is the second major blow to Karzai's US-backed peace efforts in less than a year. The former head of the council, ex-president Burhanuddin Rabbani, was killed last September by a suicide bomber posing as a Taliban peace envoy.

Karzai last month appointed Rabbani's son, the US-educated Salahuddin Rabbani to replace his father.

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According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Southeast and the Mekong delta have been appealing VND633,427 billion ($27.2 billion) social contribution in the period 2016-2019 making up 40 percent of the country’s total contribution.